We'll Find A Way
by DiTab1
Summary: AU – Tessa Singer, daughter of the infamous hunter Bobby Singer is trying to balance life and the hunt...oh yeah and finding a way to get Dean out of that damn deal! Chap 10 Now Up. Dean W./OFC. Non-Slash! Please R&R!
1. What Did You Do?

A/N - This is my first attempt at a fanfic so any/all reviews would be appreciated. I have several Chapters awaiting the continued review by my wonderful Beta Rachel! Hope it meets with everyone's approval! Thanks for reading!

AU – Dean/OC, Set during All Hell Breaks Loose, Pt. 2 ***Spoilers* - M Rating for language and adult situations.**

**Summary: AU – Imagine that Bobby had a daughter, Tessa. She watched her father as he was forced to kill the thing that was pretending to be her mother. From that moment on she knew her destiny was to hunt. Like the boys, she was raised a hunter and has been on numerous outings with Sam and Dean. Now, Dean has made a decision that affects everyone…including Tessa.**

Returning home to the farmhouse had never felt so good. The hunt was harder then she had expected and she was a bit surprised that Bobby let her go alone. Her instincts were telling her that there was something even more dangerous going down that he wanted her well away from. It didn't seem to matter how old she got, her father still tried to shield her from the worst of it. Bobby's truck was parked out front and, better still, so was the familiar Impala that she knew meant the boys were visiting.

Feeling silly, but doing it anyway, Tess ran a quick brush through her hair and checked the rear view mirror. "It's just Sam and Dean and they have certainly seen me look worse", she smiled to herself. She hoped that whatever the boys were working on would allow her time for a shower and a quick nap before they hit the road. There was no way Bobby was going to keep her from joining this one; it had been too long since she had been out with the boys.

As she got out of her car she saw Dean and Bobby among the many skeletons of ruined vehicles that were scattered around the lot. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her father storm away into the yard. Dean stood for a moment, quietly, before heading back into the farmhouse alone. She wasn't sure what they were arguing about but it was apparent that something was up and Bobby wasn't happy.

Deciding to let her Dad cool off for a bit she headed into the farmhouse. Maybe she could find out from Sam and Dean what was up. She walked in to find the boys pouring over maps. Nothing unusual there. Sam looked tired and pale but at least he seemed to be eating the soup that sat beside him. At the sound of her approach Dean looked up. His anxiety was clear on his face; he probably thought she was Bobby returning for round two. When he saw that it was her a complex set of emotions quickly flickered over his face before settling into his typical Dean smirk.

"Hey Short Stuff, long time." He moved around the table to give her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of her head. "Well, maybe not so short anymore", he said eyeing her from head to toe. Sam started to get up and winced at the sudden pain in his back. He settled instead for a weak wave and a smile. "You look like you just crawled out of a sewer."

"Yeah, well, damn demon decided to make a run for it. Believe me, this is the best outfit I had left. You don't look so hot yourself. Someone want to fill me in?" She looked from brother to brother and had the odd sense that there was some silent communication between them. "I'd love to but I think I'll let Dean give the play by play. I'm beat. Wake me in a couple hours, will you?" Sam got up and almost stumbled to the staircase. Dean started to follow but stopped when she put her hand on his arm.

"What's up Dean? You and Bobby are fighting. Sam looks like he's been in a train wreck. Did I miss the party?" She was going for lighthearted but cringed inwardly when she saw his eyes darken. "I'll fill you in upstairs. I want to make sure Sam got into bed ok. I may have put more of that Valium in his soup then I realized." He was heading for the stairs. Reluctantly she followed him to the closed door at the top of the stairs. He opened the door just a crack, peered in, and, satisfied, closed it again.

"Dean, are you telling me you just drugged your brother?" She couldn't quite believe that. Dean was, if anything, overprotective of Sam. She couldn't imagine him ever doing something like that. "He needed the rest and he wasn't really inclined to get it on his own. It's a long story Tess." He turned and headed for the second guest room. "I really need to get some sleep myself. Can we talk about this later?" She followed him into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. They were going to talk now, whether he liked it or not, and she didn't want to wake Sam.

"Dean, what is going on?" She noticed that he was shaking, just slightly, as he removed his jacket and threw it onto the chair. His back was to her, he seemed to be ignoring her. She stepped closer, taking him by the shoulders and turning him to face her. "What the hell?" When he finally raised his head and looked at her she was shocked. The raw pain in his eyes caused her to take an involuntary step back.

"Dean, we have known each other since we were kids. I know you almost as well as Sam does. You can't hide this from me. Please, tell me what's wrong." Her heart started racing as she watched him fight to find the words. He shook his head slowly and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. He dropped his head to his hands. Suddenly she wasn't so sure that she wanted to know what could shake Dean up so badly.

"I fucked up Tess. I was supposed to keep him safe. It's my job to protect him and I failed."

"Dean, what are you talking about? Sam? Sam's fine. He's down the hall. You aren't making any sense at all." Sam didn't look great but she had seen him in worse shape. She couldn't imagine that Dean would be in this much distress over something that Sam had walked away from.

"You don't understand Tess. I can't tell him. He can never find out. My choice, my decision. I'd do it again." She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Dean's shoulders were softly shaking as he tried to suppress his tears. "What? Dean… What did you do?" She was torn between wanting to go to him, to comfort him, and the fear that was building inside at his possible response.

"I lost him Tess. I was supposed to protect him and I let him die. I had to make the deal. I've screwed up everything I've ever touched. He has a chance… he can still have a good life. It was worth it."

Her knees suddenly felt weak. A deal? No, Dean wouldn't. He lost him? Sam was dead? Her head was spinning. Yes, yes he would. To save Sam he would do anything. That quickly she knew the truth. He raised his head slowly, almost as if afraid to see her reaction. The fear and pain she saw in those green eyes broke her heart. She had to stop that pain. She couldn't stand to see him hurt like this.

Without thinking she went to him. Sitting on the bed next to him she put her arms around him. Pulling him close she began to murmur words of comfort. "It's ok Dean. Not your fault. He's ok." Her hand made slows circles over the thin cotton material that covered his back. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever; Dean finally letting go and sobbing quietly through his pain while she held him and rocked him. Sam and Dean were family. They had been a part of her life almost as long as she could remember. She knew how strong their bond was and understood the hell that Dean was going through at the thought of losing his brother.

She wasn't sure at what point she realized that she loved him. She was completely aware of the fact now. His pain caused an ache in her heart that she had no other explanation for. She realized at that moment that she had always been in love with him. It was as natural to her as breathing. It was so much a part of her that she had never bothered to name it. Dean was strength and protection. Dean was stone that would never crumble. Dean would always be there; except now he wouldn't. Dean had made a deal and she was terrified of hearing the terms. For now, she would just hold him and hope to ease some of his pain.

After awhile his breathing began to slow. The sobs had stopped but she couldn't bring herself to let him go, not yet. He eased back from her, swiping his hand over his eyes. When he raised his head and looked at her she thought her heart would stop. The tears were still swimming in those eyes…those beautiful green eyes. As she watched, one spilled free and slowly ran down over his cheek. Impulsively she leaned in and kissed the tear away.

From his cheek she moved to his lips. So soft and full. How could she have never noticed before how beautiful he was? She kissed him gently feeling him tense at the touch of her lips to his. The world stopped moving while she waited to see what he would do.


	2. Comfort

**A/N: Thanks once again to my wonderful Beta Rachel! Please R&R as I appreciate any/all feedback! Enjoy!**

**A/N: I wish, but I don't own any characters represented with the exception of Tessa, the rest belong to the genius who is Kripke!  
**

**Warning: Adult situations - M Rating to be safe!  
**

He didn't return the kiss. Instead, he pulled gently back from her. She held her breath as he looked into her eyes. "Tessa." Everything he felt was in that one word; his uncertainty, his fear, his unspoken question as he looked into her eyes. She stood quickly, suddenly embarrassed and afraid that she had crossed a line from which she couldn't return. What was she thinking? Sam and Dean had always treated her like the little sister they never had. She tried to turn and leave but his hand reached out to hers before she could open the door.

She stood frozen, waiting, as he got up from the bed and closed the distance between them. She knew what was coming. Next would be the awkward conversation. "I'm sorry, I just don't think of you that way…" Maybe she could convince him that it meant nothing, she was only trying to comfort him. They could joke about it later; much later. Maybe. She schooled her expression in an attempt to remove all emotion from it, waiting for the inevitable.

"Tessa." She heard her name once again. Something inside her quivered just hearing it come from his mouth. She felt his hand cup her chin and slowly raise her head. Before she could start making excuses his mouth was on hers. This time there was no hesitation. This kiss held the heat that she had been feeling slowly build within her. Instinctively she parted her lips allowing his tongue access as she felt it glide across her bottom lip.

They moved back towards the bed. Step by step, never losing the contact of that kiss yet still managing to lose items of clothing on the way. As he pushed her gently back onto the bed she realized that they were touching skin to skin. His mouth moved from hers and began a trail of kisses to her neck. As he licked and bit gently on the tender skin below her ear a soft moan of pleasure escaped from her lips. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. His tongue traced the outline of her ear, his breath softly teasing. She was sure this was a dream when she heard him whisper, "I love you." She almost cried at the desperation she heard in those words. There was nothing else in that moment but Dean.

She was afraid to move, afraid to break this spell. If she died here, in this moment, she would die happy. Gentle hands were caressing her shoulders, fingers moving lightly to trace the curve of her breast. His lips followed the trail that his hands had made. As she felt his tongue lightly glide over her nipple she gasped, her back arched involuntarily.

She was becoming high on the sensory overload of his attentions. The warmth that spread from her chest to her core was unbearable. She wanted him; more than that, she needed him. There would be time enough for the rest later, for now all she could think was to have him in her, to erase the memories that caused him so much pain. She pulled gently on his soft hair and urged him to return to her mouth. Reluctantly he complied, mirroring the trail he had made on the other side of her body. When his lips once again locked on hers she thought she would drown in the taste of him.

The slow seduction of their kisses became more desperate; more frantic. Her nails raked down the smooth skin of his back, not quite hard enough to draw blood but there would definitely be marks later. Still he seemed hesitant to go that small bit further. He seemed to be afraid to allow himself to completely take what he wanted from her. She felt the battle that raged within him, she knew that she had to be the one to finish this. He would never allow himself to chance a misunderstanding that would hurt her.

She wrapped one leg around his hip and reached between them. She allowed her nails to scrape lightly down his chest and stomach as she reached for him. When she took him in her hand she felt the sharp intake of his breath. Gently she guided him to her entrance. Dean stopped; frozen above her he desperately looked into her eyes. "Please", she whispered as she pulled his head down to nip at his lower lip.

Certain of her intentions he slowly slid his hips forward. Taking her inch by inch; he savored each new sensation. When he could go no farther he paused. She couldn't stand the ceasing of his motion and arched up against him, hoping he would understand. At that moment, his eyes locked with hers leaving her breathless. He took the hint and began to pull back from her. A senseless moan escaped from her lips.

It was all too much. Neither of them was prepared for the onslaught of emotions that they were going through. His pace quickened and, in turn, her need intensified. Before she could form a conscious thought she felt herself slipping over the edge. Her grip on his hip tightened as her inner muscles contracted; it was his turn to moan. The feel of her orgasm combined with the pleasure that bordered on pain of her nails now digging into the taut skin of his arms was more than he could take. With one last thrust he felt the sweet release that came with his own orgasm.

What seemed like hours later, though she was sure it was only moments, she felt him withdraw and almost screamed at the emptiness. He reached to the foot of the bed and dragged a blanket up over the two of them. He pulled her gently towards him and wrapped her in his arms. She was enveloped in the safety that she had felt her whole life. She laid her head upon his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She had never been so content in her whole life.

**OK - If you are enjoying and would like to see more please let me know and I'll post Chap 3!** :)


	3. Revelations

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who put me in their alerts or favorites! You guys made my day! As always, many thanks to my Beta Rachel who is wonderful at finding my dreaded tense issues. Reviews, as always, are more then welcome!**

**A/N: Since Kripke is not returning my calls I'll have to assume I still don't own any of the characters contained within this story with the exception of Tessa. *sigh***

She wished they could stay like that forever but she was keenly aware that they were not alone in the house. Although Sam was probably not going to wake for quite awhile yet, her Dad could return at any moment. She had to know everything and there was no time to ease into it.

"Dean?" She could feel his mumbled reply and fought the urge to curl further into the warmth of his chest. "Dean…we need to talk." Yeah, that would do it, sure, Dean's favorite thing to hear in the whole world, she thought sarcastically. He didn't reply, probably hoping that she would believe he had fallen asleep. "Dean, come on. You aren't fooling me with the sleeping act."

He tensed around her. His first thought was that she had realized what they had done and was angry at him for taking advantage of the situation. Well, he thought, now I've hit the trifecta. I've managed to hurt every person I've ever loved; first Dad, then Sammy and now Tessa. Maybe a year was too long; he should have agreed to go immediately. At least then he would have saved Tess from being hurt. But they were all right about him; he was selfish and couldn't pass up the offer to have one last year to help Sammy come to terms with everything.

"Dean, please, I know you don't want to have a chick flick moment here but…I need to know. I deserve to know." Now he was confused, she didn't sound pissed, she sounded scared. That couldn't be right. Tess doesn't get scared. Hell, Tess was about the bravest person he knew. He slowly pulled away from her and sat up.

"I'm sorry Tess. I shouldn't have let that happen. I wish I could take it back." That pain was back in his eyes. Was he really apologizing to her? She could tell she needed to reassure him that it was ok. "Emm, Dean. No take backs. But if you think you were that bad I may be willing to let you have a Do Over." At his shocked expression she leaned over and kissed him again. Once. Quickly. Before he could respond she moved back out of his reach.

"Dean, you idiot, I love you. Right now I'm not exactly sure why, but I do." She softened the statement with a slight smile. "I know it's not your style so I'm not asking you to say it again but, if you didn't mean it… if it was just one of those 'in the moment' things, then please tell me now. No hard feelings, I'll understand. This was amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything but if this is all there is, or will be, just tell me. I just don't want to make a bigger fool of myself then I may have already." She tried to wipe all traces of emotion from her face. She wouldn't pressure him into something that he didn't want.

He sat quietly watching her. Inside he was fighting with himself over the best way to respond. He could lie, tell her they were just words; he knew it would hurt her but that pain had to be less then what she would feel when his time was up and she lost him forever. Did he love her? It was fine until today. He could have lived with seeing her now and then, knowing that she was ok and happy. He didn't need to mess up her life by further involving in the insanity that is the Winchester family.

But now, he didn't know if he could go back. He had touched that soft tan skin; tasted her lips and felt the silkiness of that long black hair, her only real concession to "girliness", slide over his body. Being with her, like this, was something he would have never let himself think of and now it was reality. It's not like there hadn't been other women in his life. A few he had actually even cared about, some. But this, this was different, this was Tessa. There was no other woman in his life that would, or could, understand him better. No one, not even Sammy, had ever been able to look into his eyes and read him so perfectly.

She was the only person he could turn to when his worry over Sam was overwhelming him. No matter how far apart they were only took one quick phone call to ease his mind and allow him to get his head back in the game. She understood the promises that he had made and what he would do to keep them. She knew the kind of life he lived, hell she lived it herself.

Did he love her? Only since the summer she turned sixteen. John had fractured three ribs cleaning out that vamp nest in North Carolina and he and the boys had spent a month at the farmhouse with Bobby and Tess while he healed up. That was the summer they rebuilt her '69 Chevy Chevelle Super Sport from the rusted out skeleton that they had found out on Bobby's lot. He could still remember etching his initials on one side of the engine block and hers on the other before they finished her up. For some reason he had never told anyone about that, not even Sam. All it took was seeing her for the first time, hair pulled back in a pony tail, a streak of grease on her cheek, bent over the tranny with a screwdriver. He remembered how she had looked up and smiled at him. That smile was his undoing. Did he love her? Hell yes, it scared him just how much.

There was no turning back, not for him, but maybe for her. Maybe he could talk her out of this before it was too late for both of them. "Tess, it's the wrong place and the wrong time. It's not how I wanted this to happen. Hell, I'm not even sure if I ever wanted this to happen. Better for you to find someone who could take you out of this life not drag you further in. I am so screwed up. You deserve better."

"Dean, did you mean it?" She couldn't quite hide the insecurity in her voice. She looked into his eyes and saw the indecision. She felt her heart drop. She shook her head and started to move toward the edge of the bed, she pulled the blanket tightly in around her. She would not cry. He was going through enough and she wouldn't be the cause of more pain. She was a big girl. She knew what she was doing when she started this and she certainly knew the possible consequences.

He watched her wrap herself in that blanket like a suit of armor. The last thing in the world he ever wanted to do was hurt her. The fact was, he _was_ selfish, and he couldn't stand the thought of never touching her again. He knew he should let her go but, damn it, he had given up so much in his life. When was it enough? How many people that he loved would he have to let go? Not this one; not this time, it was too much. As she reached the end of the bed she felt her momentum stopped as something caught the blanket and held it. She turned around to see what had snagged her and her breath caught in her chest as she heard one softly whispered word… "Yes".


	4. The Deal

**A/N: I'd be nowhere w/out my wonderful Beta Rachel! Thanks for the editing hon!**

**A/N: As always - wishful thinking hasn't made me the owner of any of the characters within the story with the exception of Tessa. **

As much as she wanted to crawl back into his arms and stay there she knew there was another question that had to be answered. This question frightened her more than any other she had ever asked. She had to know. Now that she had him she would fight death itself to keep him.

Taking a deep breath she prepared herself, "How long?"

"One year", his reply was flat and emotionless.

She felt as if someone had hit her in the chest. One year? How could that be? The standard deal was ten years. They needed more time. One year? It would have to be enough. They would find a way to break the deal.

"That's not a whole hell of a lot of time. We'll have to work fast. I assume that is what you and Bobby were fighting about?"

"Yeah. He seems to think it wasn't the brightest idea in the world. He's right. Sam's gonna be pissed when he finds out but… what else could I do? I made a promise Tess, you know that. I couldn't let him die."

"I know Dean. Sam will deal. He won't be happy but he could never hate you. He'll understand…eventually. In the meantime we need to figure out way to get you out of this."

"Tess, we can't. It was part of the deal. If I try to break it then the deal is off. I go to blazes and Sam…well Sam will find that he no longer has the need to breathe."

"Hmm. Tell me something. Was that what she said? Exactly what she said?"

"What do you mean, Tess?"

"Did that bitch say exactly those words, 'If you try to break the deal then the deal is off'?" An idea was forming but she wanted to check with Bobby before giving Dean false hope.

"Exact words…let me think. She said 'If you try and welsh or weasel your way out then the deal is off. ' Why? What are you thinking?"

There was something in the tone of her voice that made him pause. Tess could be pretty devious when she wanted to be. He had learned early on that, although he may be the King of pranks, even the King bowed down to the Queen.

"You would think a crossroads demon would be more careful in her choice of words. I think she is going to be in a world of hurt when her bosses find out that she left a loophole. Get dressed. We have work to do." Tess wondered if it could really be that easy. The demon had said that Dean couldn't try to get out of the deal but she hadn't said anything about someone else getting him out of it. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it yet but the wording of the deal gave her wiggle room to try to figure some way out.

Her heart sped at the sight of his smile. It would be ok. They would figure out a way to fix this. She saw him visibly relax as she got up to retrieve their scattered clothing. She was surprised when she suddenly heard him laugh softly. She looked up at him seeing how hard he was fighting to hold in the laughter. "Dean Winchester! What in the hell is so funny?" she demanded.

He moved off the bed and pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping her in his strong arms. "Emm… Tess, babe, your Dad isn't exactly shaking his pom poms over my choices lately. Somehow I don't think this", he kissed her playfully, "is gonna help matters any."

She started to giggle herself. The mischievous look in his eyes lightened her heart more than she could have thought possible. She leaned in to kiss him again and froze as she heard the front door slam closed.

Dean's smirk returned as he whispered huskily into her ear, "Ut oh, looks like Daddy's home."

"Damn, shut up and get dressed," she said pushing away from him and reaching for her t-shirt. "I think maybe we had better keep this to ourselves for now. I think Bobby and Sam are going to have enough to deal with for awhile without adding us to the mix."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Nothing in our lives has ever been easy, why should this be different? But I'm not going to hide this forever Tess. I'll follow your lead but if I only have one year left I'm not going to waste it pretending that I don't care and that nothing has changed between us."

She ducked her head to grab her jeans from the floor glad for the excuse to turn away from him. She wouldn't let him see the tears that welled up in her eyes at the fierceness of his tone. She heard Bobby call her name from downstairs and slipped out the door.

"Dean", she said turning back to look at him one more time.

"Yes?"

"Next time you want to make a deal with someone take me with you. Your negotiation skills suck."

He laughed out loud as she pulled the door closed behind her, leaving him alone to finish dressing. Yeah, time may be short, he thought, but it sure as hell will be interesting.

**A/N: Ok, I could either keep this going (I have a 5th Chapter almost completed) or I could end it here. Guess I'll leave it up to the readers. If you would like to see more let me know! Throw out a review or drop me a private message so I know that there is an audience out there. Remember: Reviews are rainbows that brighten my day!**


	5. Reunions

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who put this story on alert or took the time to leave a review! Feedback is good for the ego! :P So long as there is interest I'll try to keep updating! **

**A/N: The next scene was, IMHO, very pivotal in the episode, All Hell Breaks Loose, Pt. 2. Due to the amount of detail that I felt was important to retain, I took the liberty of pulling pieces of dialog directly from the episode itself (although the speaker may have changed) so that I wouldn't screw up the information that needed to be relayed. No copyright infringement was intended and I hope that Kripke and crew believe the saying that "imitation is the highest form of flattery". Enjoy! **

**A/N: Oh yeah….still only wishful thinking, don't own anything but Tessa.**

Tessa walked into the dining room to find her father and Ellen sitting across from each other at the table. In front of each of them was a shot glass. In the center of the table was a bottle of whiskey. Ellen looked shook up while Bobby listened intently to her story.

"And that's all there is to tell. Pretzels… I can't believe my life or death balanced on pretzels." Ellen said shaking her head.

Bobby looked up as she came into the room. "I saw your car out front. Good to see you made it home in one piece. Have you talked to the boys?" He stood up to give her a quick hug and kiss.

"Briefly, Sam's sleeping and Dean should be down shortly. It looks as if I came home just in time. Can someone fill me in on the details? What's this about life and death?" She grabbed another shot glass and sat down at the table.

"The Roadhouse. It's gone. Burned to the ground." Ellen sounded as if she was still trying to accept that piece of reality herself.

"Burned down? By who? When? Was anyone hurt?" Tess forgot all about the shot of whiskey she had just poured which now sat in front of her on the table.

"Demons. Burned it to the ground. It was a trap. A lot of good hunters were lost in there. Ash…" Ellen's voice broke and she poured herself another shot.

Tessa could feel the tears burning in her eyes. Ash was dead. How could that be? Then a terrible thought hit her, "Ellen… Jo? She's not…She wasn't…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"No, thank God! I never thought I would be happy to see my daughter out on a hunt but today… well, let's just say I'm starting to think differently about it. She's in Nebraska looking into a haunting."

Dean stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the room and saw the party sitting at the table. "Ellen?" Dean's surprised voice meant that he had known about the Roadhouse. She couldn't really blame him for not telling her but at the same time she wondered what else he had held back. She watched as he looked to Bobby, who nodded, before going to Ellen and grabbing her in a bear hug.

"We didn't think anyone made it out. How? Did anyone else make it?" The hope that was forming in his eyes was dashed as Ellen shook her head and sat slowly back down. "Damn it. I'm sorry to hear it Ellen. He took the remaining empty chair and reached across the table grabbing Tessa's forgotten shot and downing it in one smooth movement.

"I hear Sam had a rough time of it. He going to be ok?" Ellen's look of concern seemed genuine so he assumed that Bobby had kept his promise and hadn't given her the full story.

"Emm. Yeah. He'll be good." He could feel Bobby's eyes on him as he replied. "Something is up though. That yellow eyed bastard was testing him, and he wasn't the only one. Bobby says there have been a good number of omens out in Wyoming. Something big is going down and we need to figure out what it is." He couldn't remember ever being so happy to change the subject.

"Wyoming? Hold on a second." Ellen reached into her pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a folded up map. "Ash called. Told me to look in the safe…then the phone cut out. By the time I got back the flames were sky high. I did manage to get this out of the safe though." Ellen spread the map on the table. "Ash was working on this before he… I remember seeing him making these marks here." She indicated the black x's that Ash had obviously marked onto the map.

Tess listened quietly. The tension between Dean and her father was palpable. They were going to have to talk this out sooner or later. She knew how her father felt about the boys. They had been through too many close calls together. He didn't like to let on but, since John died, he had felt a great deal of responsibility for their well being. Now, not only had something happened to Sam, but Dean had done the unthinkable. It had to be eating at Bobby; she knew he would have rather traded his own soul then to see Dean make that deal.

She realized that her thoughts had drifted when her father sat back down in his chair with one of his many research books. "Each of these x's is an abandoned Frontier Church. All mid-nineteenth century and all of them built by Samuel Colt." Bobby looked from the text to the map.

"Seriously. Samuel Colt? The demon killing, gun making Samuel Colt?" Tess couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Yep, and there's more." Bobby went back to reading the text. Tessa looked across the table and saw that Dean was as anxious about this news as she was. "It says here that he built railway lines connecting church to church that just happen to lay out," he picked up a pen and leaned over the map, filling in the lines for each railway, "like this."

He stood back and they all took in the symbol that was now clearly drawn on the map. Dean was the first to find his voice. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's a Devil's Trap…a hundred square foot Devil's Trap…" Tessa couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the drawing.

"That's brilliant. Iron lines. Demons can't cross." Dean was shaking his head in amazement.

Ellen looked to Bobby, "I've never heard of anything that massive."

"No one has," he replied, shaking his head.

Tessa examined the map more closely. "And after all these years none of the lines are broken? I mean it still works?" She was surprised to hear Dean's confident reply, "Definitely."

"Think about it. All those omens that Bobby found. I mean the demons must be circling and they can't get in." His logic made sense.

"Yeah, well they're trying." Bobby grumbled.

Tessa pushed the map back to the center of the table. "But why? What's inside?"

Dean examined the map more closely. "There's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle."

They had been to more cemeteries then she cared to try to count. One was no different really then the next. "What's so important about a cemetery? What's Colt trying to protect?" She wasn't sure she actually wanted to know what a Devil's Trap of that size could be protecting.

Dean suddenly sat back heavily in his chair, "Well…unless…"

They all turned to him impatient to know what he was thinking. "Unless what?" Bobby asked anxiously.

Dean lifted his head and locked eyes with Bobby. "What if Colt wasn't trying to keep the demons out? What if he was trying to keep something in?"

Tessa felt a chill run down her spine as Ellen echoed her feelings, "Now that's a comforting thought."

Dean broke his eye contact with Bobby to turn to Ellen. "Yeah, you think?" He sighed and reached for the bottle of whiskey.

Tess thought that a Devil's Trap that size had to be impenetrable. Colt was a genius after all. He wouldn't have left a chance that it could be breached. She looked to her father for confirmation. "Could they do it Bobby? Could they get inside?"

She was relieved to see him shake his head as he replied, "This thing's so powerful you'd practically need an A Bomb to destroy it. No way a full blood demon gets across."

They all startled just a bit as Sam walked into the room, "No. But I know who could."


	6. Preparations

**A/N: Hope you are all enjoying the story. It may be a few days before my next update so if you need a fix check out the one shot (Savior) I posted last night. **

**A/N: As always Tessa belongs to my twisted mind but the boys and their world belong to Kripke.**

"So it's settled then. I'll ride shotgun with the boys. This way Dean can finish filling me in while Sam catches a few more hours sleep in back. Bobby, you and Ellen will follow in the truck." Sam looked as if he wanted to argue with that scenario but couldn't quite figure out how.

"I have to get a few things from my car and I'll be ready to go." Tess knew the boys carried plenty of weapons but she was always more comfortable with her own gear.

"Sammy, why don't you go check the supplies, make sure we don't need to restock anything before we hit the road. I'll go see if Tess needs a hand with her stuff." Dean knew they were fine but he wanted a few minutes alone with Tess before things got out of control.

As he walked up to her car he watched her slip a shoulder holster over her black t-shirt. Into the empty holster went her Rossi .357. From there she clipped on the Walther 9mm snugly into the small holster that sat at the small of her back. A black leather jacket went over both, concealing them from sight. She bent over and untucked her jeans from her right boot. Next she slipped a wicked looking four inch blade into the custom sheath that he hadn't noticed was concealed in the boot. Just when he thought she had to be done she pulled her jeans a bit higher, exposing what he couldn't help but admire was a very shapely calf. He shook his head in amazement as she strapped on the rig that held, by the looks of it, two extra clips for the 9mm.

She stood up and turned to him with a sly smile. It was then that he noticed her slipping the small blade sheath under the front of her t-shirt. As she bent over to reach back into the trunk he slipped up behind her, bending over her as if to help.

Her body responded instantly to his closeness and her breath caught. "Dean, someone will see." She made a halfhearted attempt to pull away. She could feel his breath on her neck as he whispered to her. "Oh my God Tessa, that had to have been the sexiest thing I have ever seen." His body pressed against hers left no doubt to the truth of that statement. A quick elbow to his ribs had him skittering back from the car.

"Don't go starting something you can't finish," she snickered evilly. "I think I have everything I need. Is everyone ready to go?" She looked past him to see Sam slam the trunk of the Impala.

"Seriously, Tess, when did you start carrying enough weapons to make Rambo jealous?" He slipped around her to inspect the remaining weaponry in the trunk. "And what the hell," he held up the modified paint ball gun, "is this?"

Tess took the paint ball gun from his hands and placed it back into the trunk before closing and locking it. "First," she said as she started back towards the group, "when you hunt alone you learn to be prepared. You have Sam watching your back but usually it's just me out there. " She stopped and turned to him. Indicating her boot she said, "Iron." Tapping her chest, "Silver". She started walking again, "The Rossi is loaded with standard rounds and the 9mm is loaded with custom silver rounds. I have both a standard and a salt clip in the rig. Like I said, I like to be prepared."

He couldn't help but be impressed, and he had to admit, a bit concerned about the experiences that she must have had to lead to this much firepower. "And the paint ball gun?" He couldn't wait to hear how this fit in.

"Simple. Pellets are loaded with holy water. Fully automatic. Hell of a deterrent to large groups of evil. Ash helped me find the right mixture to get the pellets to work properly." She stopped suddenly, the memory that Ash had died hitting her. She worked to hold in the tears that suddenly threatened to break free.

"Tess. What is it?" He turned her to face him. Seeing the tears swimming in her eyes left him feeling suddenly helpless.

She swiped the tears from her eyes. "Sorry, I'm fine. It's nothing. Just forgot for a minute…Ash. We don't have time for this, they're waiting." She took a deep breath and turned towards the Impala again.

Before she could take a step he grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her back towards him. "Tessa, don't you ever be sorry for having feelings." She shied back from the intensity that she saw in his eyes. "We've seen things…done things…damn it Tess. If we stop feeling then we are no better than the things we're hunting."

She nodded slowly and took another deep breath. "I know Dean. It's ok. I'm ok. Really." She flashed him the best smile she could muster up.

He wanted nothing more in that moment than to grab her and hold her. All he could think of was the pain he saw in her eyes at the memory of their friend's death but knowing that they were now in sight of the rest of the group caused him to hesitate. If he couldn't provide the physical comfort she so obviously needed then he would do the only thing left to him.

She was almost back at the Impala. Inside she could see that Sam had climbed into the back seat and was attempting to find a way to get comfortable. As she reached for the passenger door handle she heard Dean stop behind her.

"You know that question you asked me earlier?" He whispered softly in her ear.

"Yeah?"

"The answer's still yes." Before she could respond he had moved around her and was getting into the driver's seat.

I love you too Dean, she thought as she smiled to herself enjoying the warm feeling that was spreading through her chest.

**Reviews/Comments are not only welcome but craved! *Cookies* to those of you wonderful readers who have made your presence known!**


	7. Promise Me

**A/N: Someday I hope to be brilliant enough to create characters as great as Sam and Dean but until then...I only own my own creation of Tessa, the rest still belong to Kripke.**

The ride to the cemetery had been informative. Dean quietly filled her in on the details of Sam's disappearance. Throughout the drive, and the recap, she noticed his eyes dart up to the rear view mirror to check on his sleeping younger brother. Dean was so attuned to protecting Sam that she wasn't even sure he knew he was doing it.

When he came to the part of the story where he and Bobby had finally found Sam he hesitated. She reached over and took his free right hand in hers. "You don't have to tell me any more," she told him. "I can guess the rest."

His eyes again flicked to the mirror and he took a shaky breath before responding, "No, I want to tell you…I need to. If we had just gotten there a few minutes sooner…but I was too late. Sam saw us coming; we were the distraction that Jake was looking for. While he was busy trying to get our attention Jake came up behind him…knife to the back…so much blood…I tried to get to him in time Tess…I tried but I failed. I held him and I saw his eyes when…" Dean's voice trailed off as his left hand tightened on the steering wheel.

"Dean, you can't keep blaming yourself. You did the best you could, the best anyone could have asked of you… even John." She saw him flinch at the mention of his father. As long as she had known the Winchesters Dean had been trying desperately to gain his father's approval. He couldn't see that the standard he was holding himself to was a thousand times higher than his father would have ever wanted.

She grew up being a confidant to both boys and she often thought it interesting how each thought the other was loved more by John. Dean spent his life emulating everything that his father did, hoping that he could earn his approval through the completion of the only goal the family had known in over a decade…the destruction of Mary's killer. He had no time for anything but the hunt. Nothing else mattered but making sure that the yellow eyed bastard paid for what he did to Mary… to all of them.

Nothing else mattered to Dean, except of course, for Sam. Sam always mattered. Sam was his responsibility from the moment their mother died. Dean could tell how much John worried over Sam growing up. He wasn't jealous of the attention…not really. How could he be jealous of the one person that mattered most in his life? Sam was the only person in his life that he had ever allowed himself to love wholly and unconditionally. He only wished that John had room in his heart for both of his boys.

Sam…well Sam was different. Sam was sweet and sensitive where Dean was rough and withdrawn. He always felt as if he was a disappointment to John. He remembered being left behind on hunts when he was younger. He always thought it was because John considered him a liability; he wasn't good enough or fast enough and would put them all in danger. He envied the ease with which Dean and John had worked together. It seemed to him that no matter what he did it was never the right thing; that everything led to a fight between him and his father. When he left for Stanford part of him was running from the disappointment he always thought he saw in John's eyes.

In fact, John's biggest sacrifice for his boys was held by both of them as proof of their beliefs. John made a deal. He traded his life, his soul, for Dean. To Sam this was the ultimate proof of John's love of Dean. What more could a father do to prove himself to his son? Dean didn't see it that way. Dean only knew that the reason he was still breathing was so that there would be someone to take care of Sammy. Even in his death John was looking after Sam. She often wondered if these feelings were typical with siblings or if it was just one more aspect of how messed up the Winchester boys had become growing up the way they had.

"You pretty much know what happened from there," Dean sighed, deftly deflecting the conversation away from his father. "Tess, I have a feeling that this is going to get real bad, real quick." He took a second to flick those intense green eyes in her direction. "Promise me something?"

"Anything Dean, you know that." She didn't have to hear the request to know what was coming and she knew that she would keep this promise no matter what.

"Sammy thinks that yellow eyes will be here. He believes that Jake is his key into the cemetery. Tess, if that bastard is here then one of us isn't leaving this graveyard. I'm gonna take his ass out or die trying." He laughed bitterly, "What do I have to lose?"

"Dean," she hated to hear the self-loathing in his voice.

"No Tess. I mean it. It's my responsibility to end this and I'm asking you to make sure that Sam doesn't do anything stupid if I screw it up. He just came back from the de- being injured," Dean quickly checked the mirror to see if Sam was awake. He relaxed slightly as he saw the steady rise and fall of his brother's chest.

"He's not ready. He's not strong enough. I know you can't keep him from trying to do something if I fail but you can at least make sure he takes the time to heal up first. He'll listen to you Tess. If he tries anything right now he's as good as dead. I wish I could make you promise to keep him away, get him out of this life but I know better. Promise me Tess. Promise me that you will make sure he at least has a chance before you let him do anything. Please…"

She wasn't sure she had ever heard Dean say so much at one time. She knew how hard it was for him to ask for anything. Sam's safety was more important to Dean than anything, including his own pride. There was so much she wanted to say to him. So many things he needed to hear. What she wouldn't give to just make him see that Sam wasn't the only Winchester worth saving.

She opened her mouth to reply just as the Impala hit a bump in the road. Sam's muffled groan of pain from the backseat was enough to alert them both that he was now awake. Dean's eyes went to the rear view mirror. "Dude, you ok back there?"

"Yeah…stiff…when did the backseat get so cramped?" Sam was shifting uncomfortably, finally settling on sitting up in the middle of the bench seat so that he could participate in the conversation.

"About the same time you grew four feet Gigantor!" Dean's reply was lighthearted but Tess could see that the smirk that accompanied it didn't reach all the way to his eyes. "Don't worry, you can get out and stretch in a second. We're here."

Tessa was surprised to look out the window and see that they had indeed arrived at the cemetery. Once the Impala had come to a full stop she hopped out quickly. She could hear Sam's exhalation of pleasure as he stretched his tight muscles.

Seeing the truck pull in behind them she went to meet Bobby and Ellen. Before she could get to the truck she felt Dean grab her by the wrist.

"Not so fast Short Stuff. I'm waiting." He tried to keep his voice steady and controlled but she could hear the edge of tension in it. "Promise me."

She looked up into his eyes, darkened now by his concern. There was really no choice in the matter. She knew that before he had even asked.

"I promise."

**A/N: Reviews/Comments keep the creative juices flowing so please feel free to leave some (or send me a PM!). Much love to all who have enjoyed this story enough to favorite/alert it. It's for you that I keep writing!**


	8. The End of The Beginning

**A/N: Forgive my blatant theft of dialog once again in this chapter. Not a lot but a few lines that were important. Again, no copyright infringement intended, just wanted to stay true to the episode and the information presented.**

They had a plan. They would wait for Jake to arrive and then grab him. Seemed like a good plan, there were five of them and only one of him after all. Unfortunately, like all things that pertain to the Winchesters, the plan didn't quite go as they had hoped.

They were all hidden by the cowboy's crypt in the middle of the cemetery when Jake arrived. At the appointed signal they each stepped out, guns drawn on the young man. Everything seemed to be going as planned. Jake was surprised to see them but more than that, he was surprised to see Sam.

"You were dead. I killed you." Jake looked as if he wanted to reach out and touch Sam to verify what his eyes were telling him.

She could see the quick look of shock and confusion run over Sam's face before he replaced it with a determined look. It was hard to catch if you weren't looking for it. But, she knew all of Sam's looks, almost as well as Dean. There was no denying that Jake's statement had thrown him. "Yeah, well, next time finish the job." Sam attempted to cover his emotions with bravado.

"I did. I cut clean through your spinal cord man. You can't be alive. You can't be." Jake looked from Sam to Dean and back. She could tell that Dean was barely controlling his rage towards the man who had taken his brother from him. If she didn't do something soon all hell was going to break loose.

"Jake, we don't want to hurt you. Calm down and talk to us." She wasn't sure Jake had even registered her presence until his eyes shifted to her. Looking into those eyes she knew they were not going to come out of this without bloodshed. Jake was obviously walking a tight wire and nothing they could say was going to stop him.

"And what if I don't?" The smile that accompanied his reply froze her blood.

"Wait and see." Sam was angry now. His gun was trained on Jake's forehead and she had never seen that look in his eyes before. On anyone else she would have said it was pure hatred but she couldn't imagine Sam having the capacity for that much hatred.

Jake shifted his attention back to Sam, the smile never leaving his face. "What? You a tough guy all of a sudden? What are you going to do? Kill me?" He laughed as if the idea brought to mind some personal joke.

She could see the subtle shaking of Sam's gun as he replied, "It's a thought." Her eyes darted to Dean. She wondered if he was thinking the same things as she was. This wasn't Sam. Sam wasn't the cut throat killer. He could do it if he was forced to but he never took pleasure in taking a life, any life. She could see her own concern mirrored in Dean's eyes.

"You had your chance. You couldn't do it." Jake's reply only seemed to enrage Sam more.

"I won't make that mistake twice." The intensity in Sam's voice made her cringe. He took a step towards Jake and each of them steadied their guns. Strangely, Jake didn't seem concerned by all of the hardware aimed at him. His gaze went from person to person and returned to Sam. The laugh he let out at his situation was unexpected and chilling.

Dean had had enough. She could see it in his eyes. He took a step forward, probably thinking to put himself between Jake and his brother. He would try to draw attention away from Sam; it was his instinct to protect his brother, even if it was obvious that he didn't want protecting. "What you smilin' at you little bitch?"

She had seen bigger threats than Jake involuntarily step back from the sheer aggression that was pouring off of Dean in waves. Jake, however, seemed oblivious to Dean's presence. Instead he turned to Ellen, the smile never leaving his face. She knew before he even started speaking that they were in trouble, big trouble. There was something going on here that they weren't prepared for. No one stayed that calm with five guns in their faces.

"Hey lady. Do me a favor. Put that gun to your head." Jake's eyes never left Ellen as he calmly made the request.

They could all see the pain in Ellen's eyes as she tried to fight the power in the command. She struggled against the compulsion but the gun moved steadily to her temple.

Jake didn't even try to hide how pleased he was at his new found abilities. "See that Ava girl was right. Once you give in to it there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn."

The brothers shared a silent look and she could see the helplessness and question that passed between them. Sam started to take a step towards Jake but froze when Jake turned to him. "You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off. Everybody put your guns down." He smiled at Ellen, "Except for you sweetheart."

They were trapped. None of them would risk Ellen's life. They would have to do as he asked and bide their time. He was sure to slip up at some point and give one of them an opening. Each of them slowly lowered their guns, dropping them to the ground at their feet. She could see the strain on Dean's face and knew he was trying to see a way out of this.

Jake smiled triumphantly and took a revolver from the inside of his jacket. "Ok. Thank you." He lifted the gun and looked from it to Sam. She couldn't believe it. He was holding the Colt. How had he gotten his hands on that gun? Before she could form another question in her mind Jake lunged towards the crypt, sliding the Colt into an opening that she hadn't even noticed in the middle of the door.

Everything seemed to happen at once. She saw Dean and Bobby lunge for Ellen as Sam grabbed his gun from the ground in front of him. She heard Ellen's gun go off once as Sam fired his, four times in succession, into Jake's back. She turned to see that they had managed to get Ellen's gun away before the shot rang out. As she turned back to Sam she saw him put three more rounds into the fallen man. There was no emotion on his face. For a moment she was frozen in shock at the sight.

She shook herself out of it as she heard her father yell out, "Take cover! Now!" Years of training had her diving behind a headstone before she even thought to wonder what she was hiding from. She heard the explosion and silently thanked her father for his quick warning. The noise was deafening and when she peeked around the headstone she was at first confused by what she was seeing.

From within the crypt black smoke was pouring into the cemetery. It took a moment for her brain to register…Demons…and lots of them. She heard Ellen yell, "Come on! We gotta shut that gate." She ran to the crypt and took hold of one of the doors. As she began trying to push it closed she was joined by her father. On the other side of the crypt she could see Ellen and Sam attempting to force the other door closed.

She kept in shape and knew that her father was more than capable of kicking some ass if the need arose and yet it felt as if they were making no progress at all. When she heard Sam call out his brother's name her heart skipped a beat. She took a second to follow him with her eyes as he ran back into the cemetery. She was torn. She could see Dean, on the ground, the yellow eyed demon standing over him. She could see Sam slumped against a tree several feet away. She wanted to run to Dean but she knew if she let go of the door her father would never get it closed.

Fighting against every instinct in her body she continued to push the door closed. She could see that Ellen was struggling on the other side but that she had gotten the door a quarter of the way closed. Each second that the crypt remained open floods of demons were escaping into the graveyard. They had to get this thing closed as quickly as possible.

She spared a second to check on Dean and saw that he was still on the ground, not good. The demon seemed to be talking to him, by the look on his face, taunting him. She wished she could at least hear what he was saying but the sound of the rushing wind and escaping demons was too loud. Putting all of her effort into it she continued to push the door closed, all the while silently praying that they could get it closed in time to help the boys.

She thought that she heard a gun go off as the doors finally shut and the seal on the crypt spun locked. She was panting from the effort and wasn't surprised to see that Bobby and Ellen were in no better shape. She turned back to the graveyard terrified at the thought of what she might find yet knowing that she had a promise to keep, if it wasn't too late.

They were all stunned to see what appeared to be the spirit of John Winchester standing, hand on Dean's shoulder, smiling quietly. In that moment she was able to take in the full scene. The demon was on the ground and didn't seem to be moving. Sam was standing, a look of awe and surprise on his face. John seemed hesitant to break eye contact with his eldest son. Slowly he tore his gaze away and turned to Sam. A tear slipped from his eye as he smiled serenely at Sam.

She felt her heart flutter as she recognized the look of pride that John bestowed upon both of his boys. She realized that her own tears were trailing down her face as she watched John's spirit step away from Dean, take one last look at each of his boys, then dissolve into a beautiful bright light. As she saw Sam walk over to his brother she turned to her father.

She could see the tears in his eyes as he stared at the spot where his best friend had just been. John wasn't just his best friend, he was family, the brother Bobby had never had. She could hear the boys speaking quietly over the body of the dead demon but she couldn't tear her eyes away from her father.

Ever since her mother had died his life had revolved around two things, the hunt and Tessa. He didn't make friends easily. After being forced to kill the only woman he had ever loved it was hard to let anyone else in. There were acquaintances, sure, and she was not naïve enough to believe her father had stayed celibate for all these years but very few people had ever managed to break into his heart.

They hadn't had a bad life. Ok, it may not have been exactly normal but normal is overrated. There was always one person in her life she could count on. Sam and Dean had each other, she had Bobby. He had tried to keep her separate from this life. For awhile he had tried to keep her in school, let her have friends, be a kid. But she was a precocious child and trying to make up excuses about the hunters who stopped by, the weapons, the sigils and all of the various protections in the house got to be too much.

When she was nine years old he gave in. He removed her from school and arranged for her to be home schooled. She sometimes thought that if the school board had ever gotten wind of the education she was getting they would have found the curriculum unique, to say the least. He made sure she got the basics, English, Math, Geography and History. In addition she received training in hand to hand combat, weapons, lore, tactical planning and various ancient languages. She felt it was a pretty rounded education.

Now, as she looked up at him she could see the lines that etched his still handsome face. She knew that she was responsible for more than one of those lines. They had never been a terribly sentimental family, hell she had been calling him Bobby since she was thirteen. But in that moment, he looked down at her and she could see the pure love that he held in his heart for her. She thought about how hard it had been for the boys, always striving to earn the love and respect of their father and she realized just how lucky she was to have never felt anything but the safety of her father's love.

She slipped her arms around her father's neck pulling his head down to her. She placed a kiss on his lips, hugged him and whispered into his ear, "I love you Daddy." She felt fresh tears slide down her cheek as he hugged her back and she heard something she hadn't heard since she was little, "I love you too, Baby Girl."

**A/N: Thanks again to all my readers! I love you guys! And remember: Reviews keep my creative juices flowing so please take a moment and leave a comment/review! **


	9. Nightmares

**A/N: I keep thinking that if I keep writing Kripke will allow me partial ownership but nothing so far... *sigh***

It had been a week since the incident with the Devil's Gate. A lot had happened and yet, a lot hadn't. Dean had finally told Sam the truth about what happened to him. His brother, quite rightfully, was not thrilled to hear that Dean had traded his own soul for the chance to have him back. He, like Tessa, was determined to find a way to get Dean out of this deal.

Bobby, Ellen and the boys had gone their separate ways. They were all expecting backlash from the massive number of demons that had escaped through the Gate but so far things had been quiet. This in itself was troubling. They all knew the demons were out there and they were all on edge waiting to see where they would strike first. The plan was to spread out and try to cover as much ground as possible until something finally broke.

She would have liked to have spent more time with Dean but she had something more important that she had to look into. Besides, she knew that the brothers were going to need some alone time to come to terms with everything that had happened. She remembered reading about an Indian tribe in Michigan that had some interesting rituals which she thought might be a lead on how to break Dean's deal. After scouring through Bobby's books she found the reference she was looking for and set off for Detroit.

She got into town late in the evening and knew there was nothing she could do until morning so she found a motel to crash for the night. After grabbing some take-out from a local diner she headed back to her room to do some research. She and Dean had promised to keep in touch so she wasn't surprised when her cell vibrated to signal she had a new text message.

_T. Sam & I met up w/Bobby in IL. Where r u? May need bkup – Will let u know. D._

She tapped out a quick reply hoping that they could handle the job in Illinois so she wouldn't have to put off her meeting.

_D. In MI on a lead. Can b there in 4-5 hrs if needed. What's job? T._

She plugged in the laptop while she waited for Dean's reply. Pulling up the search engine she typed in a request for information on the Fox Indian Tribe. According to the book she read the tribe still had ties to the Detroit area and the current Chief was a medicine man with great power. She was hoping that she could get in touch with him in the morning. Her cell vibrated again as she was reading through the information she had found on her search.

_T. Not sure. Bobby thinks 7 Deadly Sins! Ran into hunters here. Not sure if good or bad. Lead promising? D._

Hunters? That could either be a great help to them or a huge hindrance. She was hoping for the former. The job sounded like it was going to be enough of a handful without fighting with another group of hunters. Seven deadly sins? Really? They were actually demons? Damn, if that was the case then God only knows what else they had to look forward to.

_D. Not sure. Will fill u in l8r. Call if u need me. Heading to bed. T._

Having located the information she would need to get in touch with the Chief in the morning she decided to try to get some sleep. If the boys did end up needing her she wanted to be rested. Grabbing her overnight case she headed for the bathroom to grab a quick shower before bed.

The shower felt wonderful after the long drive and she took her time, wallowing in the feel of the hot water on her tense muscles. When she was done she wrapped a towel around her hair and headed back into the bedroom. She wasn't surprised to see she had a text waiting.

_T. Will do. B Safe. Gnight. Still Yes. D._

She couldn't help the smile that came as she read his message. "Still yes" was Dean-code for "I love you". They hadn't yet gotten a chance to tell Sam or Bobby about their relationship and this was his way of reminding her that he would keep it that way until she was ready. She rather thought he enjoyed the ability to "get mushy" without actually having to say the words. With that message fresh in her head she flipped off the light and drifted off to sleep.

The dream started the way it always did. She knew that it was a dream. It was all too familiar. She prayed she would wake up but knew that until the dream had run its course she was stuck. Her parents were fighting, which was strange because they never fought, and she was hiding under the kitchen table. She wanted to run into the living room and stop them but she was frozen there. She could see them arguing but couldn't really hear the words. The words weren't important. What was important was how her mother was screaming and hitting her father.

Her father was just standing there, letting her hit him. He looked so afraid and helpless, another thing she wasn't used to. Her mother stalked into the kitchen and picked up a bowl from the counter. Before she realized what was happening she saw her mother throw the bowl across the room, narrowly missing her father's head. It was then that her mother turned and she got a good look at her face.

She was too young at the time to recognize the pure hatred that was etched across her mother's normally serene face. Then she saw her eyes. Her mother's usually peaceful blue eyes were black. Not just black, there was no coloring at all, no blue and no white. She was mesmerized and terrified by the sight of them.

She watched, confused and afraid, as her mother grabbed the large knife from the butcher's block on the counter. As her father came into the kitchen she wanted to yell out to him, warn him, do something to keep the scene from replaying as it had every night since that night, but she knew it was useless.

She could do nothing but watch as her mother lunged with the knife, fully meaning to bury it in her father's chest. She saw him react, grab her mother's wrist and twist the knife out of her hand. She could hear the vile words pouring from her mother's mouth and cringed as she saw the affect they had on her father. They struggled, both fighting for control of the knife. Finally, she watched again as her father, having no other choice, plunged the knife into her mother's heart.

The gut wrenching half-sob, half-scream that issued from his throat as her mother's body sagged into his arms would haunt her for the rest of her life. She was ready to wake up. This was where the dream ended, with her father crying inconsolably over her mother's body. Instead she found herself transported to a strange field.

Now she was really confused. This had never happened before. She had grown used to the repetitiveness of the nightmare. After all these years it had almost become, in a sick way, comforting. But now, this field, this was unexpected and a new ripple of fear ran through her body.

She looked around and saw that she was not alone. Dean was here. He was just ahead of her, lying alone on the grass. He looked so peaceful that she began to relax slightly. Maybe her subconscious was finally granting her a bit of relief. She took a step towards him thinking to join him among the wildflowers.

It was then that she heard the sound. It was low and quiet and she could barely make it out at first. Instinctively she was afraid. She called out to Dean, trying to get him to stand up and come to her but he didn't seem to hear her. As the noise grew louder she could make out the sound of growling dogs. Dean had to hear them too, he wasn't that far away.

She tried to run to him but found that she was unable to move. Her heartbeat sped as she heard the growling grow louder. Why wasn't he getting up? Her frustration and fear were quickly building to panic as she yelled his name over and over.

He finally sat up, appearing a bit dazed, and looked around as if trying to figure out where her voice was coming from. When he finally noticed her he smiled. That smile was everything to her, that smile sped her heart for a totally different reason. He stood up and turned towards her reaching out his hand.

She watched in horror as the front of his t-shirt was suddenly shredded as if by invisible claws. A look of shock and pain registered on his face. The growling sound became frantic as she watched him attempt to fend off his invisible attackers. Scratches appeared on his arms, then his face, as he screamed and flailed out uselessly. She could see the blood soaking into his shirt as he was thrown to the ground.

Again she tried to run to him and again she was frustrated by her inability to move. As he lay on the ground still screaming in desperation she watched the grass around him blacken. Flames began to leap out of the ground all around his body. He was calling her name, begging her to help him and she was helpless to respond.

As she watched it became a race to see which would end him first, the invisible claws of his attacker or the flames which were now licking out and catching his clothing on fire. She could do nothing but scream his name over and over, fighting against the invisible bonds that held her, as she watched him writhe in agony.

She woke up with a start, his name still screaming from her now raw throat. Tears were flowing from her eyes as she reached out to turn the light on. She needed light to chase away the last visages of her dream. She could still smell the smoke and hear him calling out her name in her head. Slowly she got herself under control. No, she thought as she wiped the last tears from her eyes, I won't let it happen. She didn't even realize she was talking aloud when she said, "I won't let him go to Hell…I won't." It was a long time before she was able to turn the light out and attempt once again to sleep.

**A/N: My thanks yet again to the faithful who have decided to take this journey with me. I appreciate all of you who have put this story on favorite or alert and hope that I am keeping you entertained! Remember: Reviews are the butterflies that brighten my day! **


	10. The Meeting

**A/N: Here it is...finally...Chapter 10! Sorry it took so long, thank you to all of you who hung in there waiting. I'll try not to let it be so long before the next update! I'll be anxiously waiting to hear if the wait was worth it. (Yes, that was a shameless attempt to beg for reviews!) :)  
**

**Disclaimer: Nope...still don't own them but I won't tell if you don't!**

She was a bit dubious as she pulled into the parking lot of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The building was beyond run down. The decline in the surrounding neighborhood had not spared this site. The outer walls were covered in graffiti, some racial, some gang signs, some just typical tagging. She parked her car in the lot off of Cass Avenue and double checked that she had locked the doors. Even with her arsenal already in place upon her person she was a bit nervous walking out here alone. It was one thing to face demons and vamps, which she could handle, but gang members…that was a whole different story. The rules got a lot more complicated when dealing with run of the mill human evil.

When she entered the building she was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the exterior, the inside of the building was meticulously, even lovingly, cared for. The walls in the main entrance were, unless she was mistaken, hand painted murals which she assumed depicted the different Native American tribes that had been indigenous to the area. She felt slightly ashamed that she couldn't identify them more readily.

Checking the directory on the wall she headed up to the third floor. The sign on the door read "Fox Indian Tribe" followed by "Chief Jacob Blackthorn". This was definitely the place. Raising her hand to knock on the door she was surprised to hear a strong male voice from within, "Come in. I've been waiting for you."

Hesitantly she turned the knob and opened the door. In her experience, having someone know that she was there before she had made her presence known was usually followed by some form of unfriendly encounter. As she entered the office she took note of her surroundings. The office was beautiful, soothing even. Earth tones surrounded her along with natural fibers and Native American artifacts which covered the walls. There was no typical desk or filing cabinets. In the center of the room was a gorgeous deer skin rug surrounded by pillows. The only acquiesce to the twenty-first century that she could see was the overhead lighting. Something about the room immediately put her at ease.

The man standing in front of the windows was like a vision out of an old western movie. He appeared to be in his late sixties or early seventies. The long straight hair that fell down his back was still black, though heavily lined with silver. His deep set eyes swirled with the colors of the sea. They regarded her from within a face lined by age and experience.

She couldn't help but admire the clothing the man wore. He stood before her in buckskin leggings, plain but for the intricately detailed beadwork down the outside of each leg and a beautiful deerskin shirt, beaded and dyed in shades of blue that went strikingly with his eyes. She couldn't help but notice the small leather medicine pouch that hung around his neck. The stitching of the armbands that encircled his still muscular biceps was intricate and she wondered if the symbols represented there had special meaning. Where she expected to see the typical flowing feather headdress that had been depicted in so many films instead she found a modest fox fur headpiece trimmed with more intricate stitching that appeared to match the symbols on his arm bands.

After a moment she realized that she was staring and blushed slightly as she attempted to cover her social misstep. "Chief Blackthorn, my name is –" before she could finish her thought the man stepped forward, raising one hand in greeting.

"Tah ho, be welcome. I know who you are. I have been waiting for you. You are a hunter. A strong spirit but one who is troubled. I know why you are here Tessa. Sit and speak with me of the war within your soul and the choices that have led you to my door."

Again she was slightly taken aback by his knowledge of her. She knew that he had a reputation as a highly regarded medicine man but she hadn't expected this.

"Thank you. I appreciate the welcome. How…how did you know my name? And how do you know about hunters?" She wanted to jump right to her questions about helping Dean but was unable to hold back her curiosity.

"The spirits speak highly of you. Please sit." He indicated the pillows on the floor as he eased himself down to sit upon the rug.

She joined him, finding the informality of the surroundings to be unexpectedly comfortable.

"There is much still for you to learn. Where do you think hunters come from? Did you think that your people were the first to face evil? My ancestors were fighting Baykok before the white man came to this land."

"Baykok? I'm not familiar with that name." She was finding herself mesmerized by the rich sounds of his voice. The man could make reading a grocery list sound like the most important story ever told.

"You may know him by other names…he has been known by many. Thantatos to the Greeks, Aeron to the Celts…but most commonly in this land he is known simply as Death. Every people have legends and stories detailing the destruction and slaughter attributable to Baykok. To my people he is the demon who comes for the strongest of warriors. He takes what he has no right to. There is no defense against his wrath. It is because of him that you come to me today."

"I don't understand. Why would you say that? You don't even know me." Tessa was beginning to get the feeling that she wasn't going to like where this conversation was going.

"Tessa, I know you very well. I have heard your soul screaming out on the wind as it blows through the trees at night. I know that you have seen great sadness and loss. I know that you seek redemption for one who cannot seek it for himself. But…forgive me; I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm old and I fear my tongue rushes ahead as if it fears that my body will cease before it can deliver its message."

"My people believe that the soul is an everlasting embodiment of all that we have seen and done. We believe that when the body passes back to the earth from which it came the soul wanders the earth until it finds its next vessel. Each soul has lived forever and will continue to do so…if allowed to do so. But, I'm afraid; there are ways in which the soul can be trapped. Cut off from its path. It is in this manner that your Dean has been trapped, yes?"

She could only nod in reply. She was afraid to trust herself to speak. The cold hands of fear had once again gripped her heart tightly. This man spoke of them as if he had known them for years. If he knew so much about them then there was a possibility that he could help them. She wanted so badly to believe that he could free Dean from the deal he had made but…she couldn't help but notice the deep sadness that she could see in his eyes.

"I am very sorry for your pain Tessa. For the pain that you have seen and suffered through and for the pain that I am afraid is yet to come. I know what it is to lose one's heart song. My love passed beyond this world more than ten years ago. But, unlike you, I know that once again our souls will meet and join. If, as the spirits have told me, Baykok has laid claim to your love's soul it is very unlikely that he will be able to slip the bonds that have been placed upon him."

She could feel her heart sink. Tears were threatening to slip from her eyes and she quickly blinked them back. She hadn't realized how much hope she had held out that she would be able to go to Dean, tell him that it would all be ok…that she had found a way out of this.

"You said very unlikely…you didn't say impossible. There is a way isn't there? You can help us. Just tell me what I have to do. No price is too high, I can't let this happen. You don't know Dean. You don't know the things he's done…the people he's helped…the reason he's in this mess in the first place. He's flawed…I know that. He has scars that even time may not heal but he's good and kind. He's strong and brave and would sacrifice anything for those he loves…has sacrificed everything for one he loves. Please, if there is any way to undo this I'm begging you to help me."

She could hear how pathetic and desperate she sounded but she didn't care. She meant every word. She would pay any price to save him. She clung desperately to that last glimmer of hope.

"I may be able to help you…it will not be easy and it may not succeed. Baykok is strong and many warriors have faced him only to fall at his feet. I can feel the strength in you. I know that to be the match for your soul Dean must possess a strength to match yours. Maybe, together… You will come to my home tomorrow, at sunset. There are things I must prepare if we are to attempt this." He handed her a piece of paper with a hand written address on it.

"You must remain strong Tessa. And be careful until we meet again. If Baykok knows that you are seeking to undo his hold he will not be pleased. He may send his arrows at _your_ heart in order to protect his claim. His presence is very strong here."

"This was once a beautiful place. My people lived, hunted and died on this land. Even after the white man came and claimed our property the beauty of the earth would not be denied. Today…there is no more beauty here. Few of my people even remain to carry on our ways. Those that do remain have no understanding of the way of life that our ancestors forged here. The strength of the spirit of our tribe grows weaker each day. I'm afraid that soon we will not have the ability to help anyone…not even ourselves. It is good you came now, while there is still enough belief among us to at least try to help you."

She could hear the depths of sorrow he felt at the thought of the inevitable disappearance of his people. Again she felt the tears threaten to break free…this time for the loss of a people who wanted nothing more than to live their lives in peace. She couldn't believe it. These people, who had been decimated by strangers who held no regard for their humanity…these people, were still willing to do what they could to help her.

"This land has been destroyed. They have built up their city of concrete and iron. There is only anger and pain and hate left to fill all of the rooms that now occupy this place. Yes…Baykok is very strong here. This is now a breeding place for him and his kind. Be careful Tessa…be very careful."


End file.
